The University of Pikeville Tanner College of Dental Medicine received CODA initial accreditation in September 2025 and welcomed its first class of 54 students in June 2026. It is a private dental school in the heart of Appalachian Eastern Kentucky.
Its mission is explicit: to address the catastrophic oral health gaps of the Appalachian region, among the worst in the United States. It is co-located with UPIKE's College of Osteopathic Medicine, which gives students an interprofessional health education environment in a community that badly needs more healthcare providers.
UPIKE Tanner delivers its DMD on an accelerated three-calendar-year schedule, a model only a few US dental schools use.
What makes University of Pikeville Tanner College of Dental Medicine (DMD) different
The University of Pikeville Tanner College of Dental Medicine received CODA initial accreditation in 2025, runs an accelerated three-year DMD (three calendar years rather than four academic years — a model used by only a few US dental schools), and is among the newest dental schools in the United States.
Located in Pikeville — the economic center of Eastern Kentucky's coal country — the school exists specifically to address Appalachian Kentucky's severe oral health crisis. Pike County has among the highest rates of tooth loss in the United States. UPIKE also operates a College of Osteopathic Medicine, providing an interprofessional campus context.
University of Pikeville Tanner College of Dental Medicine (DMD) course & teaching
Integrated curriculum. Accelerated three-year DMD curriculum (three calendar years versus the usual four academic years) with strong community health emphasis — a model shared by only a handful of US dental schools. Newly established program — curriculum details subject to refinement in initial years. Clinical rotations in Eastern Kentucky Appalachian communities. Interprofessional modules shared with UPIKE College of Osteopathic Medicine.
University of Pikeville Tanner College of Dental Medicine (DMD) research strengths
University of Pikeville Tanner College of Dental Medicine (DMD) is strong in these research areas:
- Appalachian oral health disparities
- Rural dentistry
- Oral-systemic disease
- Community oral health
- Substance use disorder and oral health
How the University of Pikeville Tanner College of Dental Medicine (DMD) interview runs
Format: Traditional one-on-one faculty interview
Pikeville Dental interview day includes a traditional one-on-one faculty session of about 30 to 45 minutes, plus a campus tour and program overview. Pikeville sits in the heart of Appalachian Kentucky. Interviewers place exceptional weight on a genuine commitment to serving rural and underserved communities in one of the US regions with the most severe oral health gaps.
Questions cover manual dexterity, oral-systemic health, and ADA ethics. They also cover tobacco and substance-related oral disease, which is highly prevalent in Pike County and the surrounding Appalachian communities, and your understanding of Appalachian culture and healthcare barriers.
University of Pikeville Tanner College of Dental Medicine (DMD) intake
Approximately 40–60 students per year (inaugural class; numbers may vary).
University of Pikeville Tanner College of Dental Medicine (DMD) at a glance
Founded in 2025. Based in Pikeville, KY.
Programmes offered:
- General Dentistry
- Community Dentistry
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Periodontics
